D&D 5E How much should it cost to use a permanent teleportation circle?

[Stalker0]

For those saying that no one would use circles to Transport goods when you have caravans that can carry “so much more”…if that was true air cargo would not exist, as ships carry thousands of tons more than planes for a fraction of the cost.

Speed is always valuable, and there will always be goods whose speedy arrival is worth a premium. Now it’s true that circles would not destroy the caravan business (just as air cargo and shipping work in the same world), but both of them would have a niche

 

[kigmatzomat]

According to the rule, if the destination square is occupied, the creature passing through appears in the closest free square. So even if you were to fill the room the portal is with concrete, it is by RAW still possible to use it as a destination point.

Not if the free space was under a Forbiddance, as I stated.

They can't arrive in the circle because it is occupied and they cannot arrive in the nearest unoccupied spot because it is Forbidden. As the teleport circle only bypasses occupied spots ("instantly appears within 5 feet of the destination circle or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied"), the teleport won't attempt to deliver them to a spot outside the Forbiddance. So a block of stone stops most users. Most, not all.

If you were to teleport in an earth elemental who can pass through stone, they would not consider the space occupied. You could run iron bars through the stone which the elemental cannot pass through. Except ghosts and some other immaterial beings can. Which hopefully the Forbiddance will trap in the stone. Of course when you go to use your circle and lift the stone, you may have various nasties drop on you or jump through the portal.

Which gets back to complicated traps and layered defenses. E.g. You did remember to put a Forbiddence on the floor above and floor below the circle to keep those critters from bypassing the 30ft height limit of Forbiddance, right?

And eventually whatever defenses you come up with will be defeated by a determined foe, such as Hannibal invading Italy from the Alps. Or simply circumvented like the Maginot Line.

So...generally more trouble than they are worth.

 

[FirbolgFactory]

in the brimstone angels books, it was like 50 gold for 3 people to get from waterdeep to cormyr...or maybe 40gp...something around there.

 

[Vaalingrade]

For those saying that no one would use circles to Transport goods when you have caravans that can carry “so much more”…if that was true air cargo would not exist, as ships carry thousands of tons more than planes for a fraction of the cost.

Speed is always valuable, and there will always be goods whose speedy arrival is worth a premium. Now it’s true that circles would not destroy the caravan business (just as air cargo and shipping work in the same world), but both of them would have a niche

Not to mention fresh and fragile goods. Or goods prone to be the target of theft.

 

[Zubatcarteira]

Step 1: Build a really tall tower.

Step 2: Inscribe a circle at the side of the tower.

Step 3: Drop as many trade goods from the top of tower to the circle as you can in 6 seconds, perhaps by hanging a ton of them on the side with ropes and cutting them.

Step 4: If momentum is maintained during the teleportation, they get yeeted on the other side, where people are ready to catch them with nets and comically large mattresses.

Step 5: Profit.

 

[NotAYakk]

If I have long-distance trade magic, it won't look like the "teleportation circle" spell. The spells in the book are examples of spells, biased towards adventuring magic.

Almost all high-level magic casting in my world involves consuming a scroll with the spell on it. Teleportation Circle is a 5th level spell, so each scroll is a Rare consumable magic item. 100 Common/500 Uncommon/5000 Rare/20000 Very Rare/100000 Legendary, and halving for consumables, a 365 day teleportation ritual is about a million gold piece investment.

Equipping a knight costs about 2000 gp, much of it not consumed. So we are talking enough gold to equip a medium sized army.

As I like having higher level magic be in the midst of being rediscovered (from archeology and original research), this would be a serious research project (because who knows if it would work!). Even people with access to existing teleportation circles (found in various ruins usually) wouldn't even know how you could make a stable new one. So some massive project based off a crazy idea, noticed after mathemagicians measured a flux effect from repeated casting of teleportation circle in the same spot, might have recently led to a permanent teleportation circle being forged at a magical research institute with deep pockets.

Then along comes a PC who can actually cast higher level magic without destroying the magical inscription they are using?! This changes everything!

So, what does it cost to use a teleportation circle? Well, the one that has been made in the back room of the museum of archeology will probably require having status with the archeologists, as the circle is intended for serious research purposes and not mentioned to outsiders so the Admirality (or heavens, the south seas trading company!) won't claim the building.

Meanwhile, the one unearthed at Drakevault is reserved for registered researchers, supply runs and military messages. You could probably find a reason why you'd qualify as a supply run if you greased the right palms.

 

[ezo]

comically large mattresses.

Stuffed with the profits, right?

 

[Horwath]

Step 1: Build a really tall tower.

Step 2: Inscribe a circle at the side of the tower.

Step 3: Drop as many trade goods from the top of tower to the circle as you can in 6 seconds, perhaps by hanging a ton of them on the side with ropes and cutting them.

Step 4: If momentum is maintained during the teleportation, they get yeeted on the other side, where people are ready to catch them with nets and comically large mattresses.

Step 5: Profit.

Horses Dash at 120ft, that is 120ft worth of caravan length,
lets say that 2 horses abreast can pull a 10by20 cart.
that is 10ft for horses and 20ft for a cart, 30ft total, with close formation one after another you can move 4 of those compositions in 1 round through the portal.

it's 10 by 80ft worth of cargo space.

 

[Zubatcarteira]

Stuffed with the profits, right?

I imagine all those gold coins would be too hard.

 

[ezo]

I imagine all those gold coins would be too hard.

Not at all! I mean obviously gold coins are soft enough to swim through...

...so sleeping on them should be cozy enough.

Dragons do it, right?